Slush pump



-Deco1m 1935. M W, AR OLL I 2,023,405

SLUSH PUMP Filed Feb. 19, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Monroe W. Canrro ll mziwos Dee, W, 1935.. M. w. CARROLL SLUSH PUMIQ Filed Feb. 19, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwvvmtoz Monroe W. Carroll.

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Deco M, 1935. M. w. CARROLL SLUSH PUMP Filed Feb. 19, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 2| Zlwuwntoo Monroe W. Carroll d uf elem/M1 0 Dean M, 1935., M. w. CARROLL SLUSH PUMP Filed Feb. 19, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 gvvue'nto'o Monroe \N. Carroll W Atom u h/Z?- F5 @flmk Patented Dec. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLUSH PUMP Monroe W. Carroll, Beaumont, Tex., assignor of one-sixteenth to William M. Carroll, Beaumont, Tex.

The invention relates to an improvement in slush pumps wherein the number of valves required to control the flow of liquid will be materially reduced and in which the pumped fluid is excluded from the working parts of the pump except for its contact with the valves.

In the pumping of the slush or mud used in the rotary method of drilling wells, it is necessary to maintain the liquid under enormous pressures in order to maintain the circulation through the well bore. The slush is usually laden with considerable grit and other abrasives, which quickly destroy the parts which are contacted. It is, therefore, one of the objects of this invention to provide an actuating liquid in the working parts of the pump which liquid imparts motion to a piston or other member which 1separates the liquid being pumped from actuating iquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a duplex pump construction wherein the inlets to the two cylinders are joined and the outlets of the cylinders are also joined so that when the pistons in the respective cylinders are at opposite ends, the discharge from the two cylinders will occur from the same outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an actuating member, which will serve to transmit the pump pressure to the pumped liquid, and which member is arranged to be actuated by the combined discharge from at least two pump pistons.

Another object of the invention is to provide an eight valve duplex pump with actuating members in such a manner that the fluid being pumped is excluded from the pump cylinders.

Another object of the invention is to simplify the construction of the slush pumps in that the combined force of two pistons is used to accomplish a single working stroke of an actuating member to move a charge of the liquid being pumped.

Another object of the invention is to connect the opposite ends of the pump cylinders so that Figure 2 and showing a working cylinder in section;

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of 15 Figure 2, and showing one of the working cylinders in section at right angles with respect to the section shown in Figure 3, and illustrating the arrangement of the combined inlets to the separating chamber.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2, and illustrating the arrangement of the valves with respect to the pump cylinders;

Figure 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2, and showing a section of the pump cylincler and the pistons connected thereto;.

Figure '7 is a section similar to Figure 3, but showing a modified form of the actuating member used in the separating chamber.

Figure 8 is a section similar to Figure 4, but illustrating an eight-valve duplex pump.

Figure 9 is a section similar to Figure 3, but illustrating the eight-valve type of duplex pump.

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the pump.

Figure 1 shows a general arrangement of this construction, wherein the pump is mounted on a base or skid frame 2. The pump consists of the fluid end 3 and steam end 4. It is intended, however, that the motive power for actuating the duplex pump may be provided by an electric motor or other power unit, if desired. In Figure 1, however, the power is supplied by the steam cylinders 5, which are suitably controlled by valves contained within the valve housing 6 in the manner which is now well known. Regardless of the type of power unit provided, it is necessary that the connecting rods 1 be reciprocated in order to reciprocate the pump plungers or pistons Ill, one of which may be seen in 5 section in Figure 6.

The fluid end of the pump includes a pair of pump cylinders H and 12. These two cylinders are arranged parallel and are provided with a removable cap [3 at one end and a cover plate l3 at the opposite end. Each plate carries a stumng box M to provide a seal about the connecting rod 1.

The cylinders I! and I2 are preferably of standard construction, such as now well known in slush pumps. Each of the cylinders is provided with a cylinder liner !5, which is removable and which serves as a working barrel for the plunger or piston l 0. It is contemplated that any desired type of piston It] will be used upon the connecting rod 1, the sole object of this piston being to create a pressure in the end chambers I1 and I8, respectively, upon reciprocation of the pistons. A suitable drainage or cleaner plug I9 is shown in the cylinder.

In order that the invention will be best understood, a short description of the operation will be given. The cylinders H and I2 are each filled with a suitable actuating liquid, such as any oil or lubricant, or a charge of soapy water. The chambers I! and I8 are completely filled with this liquid so that upon reciprocation of the piston ID the liquid will be forced from and drawn into the liner l5. Thus, a surge of liquid from each end of the pump cylinder is accomplished. It is intended that the surge of this liquid will perform the pumping operation in the working housings 20 and 2|, which are seen in section and elevation, respectively, in Figure 4. The housings 20 and 2|, While shown as vertical cylinders, may be of any shape or configuration and be arranged in any desired position.

In order to simplify the construction and economize in the number of valves which are usually employed in slush pumps, the opposite ends of the cylinders H and I2 have been connected together. Thus, when the piston in the cylinder H is moving to the left, as viewed in Figure 2, the piston in the cylinder l2 will be moving to the right, as it is intended that the connecting rods 1 and I will be arranged to perform a reciprocating movement in opposite directions at all times. Thus, the discharge from the chamber H3 in the cylinder H will be combined with the discharge from the chamber H in the cylinder 12, and to accomplish this, a conduit or passage 25 has been provided. This passage leads from the chamber I! in the cylinder l2 upwardly and across the cylinders into the head 26 where the passage 25 is curved so that its -discharge is directed into the entrance 2'! of the top of the working housing 20. A similar conduit 25' is connected to the cylinder H, and leads across to the opposite end of the cylinder i 2, and discharges into the top of the working housing 2|. It will thus be apparent that as the connecting rod 1 moves to the left and the connecting rod 1 moves to the right that there will be a combined discharge from the two pump cylinders which will be merged at the point 30 at the entrance of the top of the working housing 20 so that its combined discharge enters the actuating fluid chamber 28 and the housing 20, (see Figure 4). The discharge from the chamber I8 reaches the point 36 through a conduit 3! leading from the chamber l8, which conduit is shown in section both in Figure 4 and Figure 6.

The working housings 20 and 2| are preferably of greater size than the pump cylinders H and I2 so that the working housing 20 may accommodate a greater volume, and, in fact accommodate the combined volume of the working stroke of each of the pistons which enters the housing at the point 30. Thus, the movement imparted to the actuating member is equal to the displaced volume of both the pump plungers [0. As seen from the drawings, the actuating member or float piston 35 is of greater diameter than the pump cylinders l0. Each f the housings 20 and 2| are provided with a sleeve or guide mem- 5 her 36, which is suitably disposed within the housing and retained in position by a flange 37 held in place by a lock ring 38. This guide or sleeve 36 is of sufficient length to accommodate the stroke of the actuating member 35, and 10 serves as a guide therefor.

When the lubricant or soapy liquid entering the separating chamber 28 engages the actuating member 35, it will be forced downwardly in the sleeve or liner 36, as seen in Figure 4. 15 Upon the reverse stroke of the pistons ID, a suction will be created in the chamber 28, due to the fact that the pistons It] in their movement reverse the surge of the actuating liquid and withdraw it from the chamber 28. This 20 causes a suction on the actuating member 35, and causes it to rise in the sleeve 36. The working stroke therein and the movement of the actuating member 35 correspond identically with the working stroke of the pistons ill, but the 2g; advantage is that a greater Volume of liquid will be moved by the actuating member 35 by reason of its greater size.

A suitable vent 18 is provided on the top of each of the working cylinders so that additional 3Q actuating fluid may be injected and so that any accumulation of air may be excluded upon the compression stroke and the vent then closed before the suction stroke occurs.

Positioned on each of the actuating members 85- 35 is a guide or hollow indicator stem or rod 42. This rod preferably passes through a stufling box 43 mounted on the head of the housing and is provided with a shoulder h to limit the upward movement of the actuating member when the 40;- shoulder comes in contact with the top or cap of the working housing. This rod 42 is of particular advantage in that it is used as a means of excluding any air which accumulates within the sleeve or guide 36 below the actuating mem- 45;; her. It also serves to keep the actuating member 35 within the liner 3% when there is no fluid in the working housing because the shoulder 46 on the top of the rod will engage with the stuffing box 43 and limit the downward movement. 50 '1 This rod serves as a guide to keep the actuating member in proper alignment so that it will not chatter in the sleeve 33 during its reciprocation. The connecting rod also serves as a conduit for injecting a lubricant into the guide or liner 36.5511 A quantity of lubricant may be injected through this rod 42, and will take its position within the liner 36 directly beneath the piston. Such lubricant will be of less specific gravity than the fluid being pumped and will float on the top thereof to lubricate the wall of the guide 35.

The part of the mechanism whereby the slush or liquid being pumped enters the apparatus is best seen in Figure 5, where an inlet pipe 59 is provided adjacent the base of the structure. This x inlet pipe divides into two parts 5i and 52, which serve the inlets to the housings 29 and 2!, respectively. The incoming fluid reaches the housings 20 and 25 through the intake valves 54 and 55, which are positioned in the inlet chambers 53 and 5?. Figure 3 shows a section indicating one side of the mechanism, and shows the working housing 2| and the arrangement whereby the slush flowing from the inlet 52 passes the valve 55 and enters the chamber 57, which opens into the ing a total of eight valves.

slush or working chamber 58 which is formed in the base of each of the working housings. This slush chamber 58 is the lower portion of the Working housing, and allows the mud to engage the lower surface 59 of the piston or actuating member 35. Thus, as the actuating member 35 rises in the sleeve 35 it will lift the valve 55 and draw in a charge of the fluid. When the movement of the actuating member 35 is reversed, however, the spring 60, along with the force of gravit tends to quickly close the valve 55 so that there will be no reversal of the flow of fluid through the valve. The continued downward movement of the actuating member 35 builds up the pressure in the chamber 51 and causes the Valve 62 to be raised so that the fluid can flow into the outlet or discharge chamber 63 and thence into the discharge line 64 which may lead to the swivel or to a suitable supply line.

As seen in Figure 5 there will be but four valves in the pump, two outlet valves 62 and the inlet valves 54 and 55. With the duplex pumps now in general use both an inlet and an outlet valve are provided at each end of each cylinder, makiese valves must be replaced quite often and they involve an enormous expense in connection with the operation of such pumps. With the present pump, four of the valves have been eliminated. The structure is considerably simplified and the actual working stroke against the slush is the result of two working strokes by the pump pistons. The wear on the parts is greatly reduced due to the fact that a lubricating liquid is used adjacent the pump piston and plunger, and the fact that on each trip of the actuating member 35 the walls of the sleeve or liner will be lubricated by the actuating fluid in the top of the'working chamber and a lubricant may be provided below the actuating member in the manner described. These features of advantage prolong the life of the pump and afford a much more economical service than can be obtained in pumps now in general use. With a pump of the present type the ratio of the stroke and bore of the pump pistons iii with respect to the stroke and bore of the actuating member 35 may be varied to obtain the desired results and the pistons H) may be arranged with a long stroke because they are well lubricated.

Figure '7 shows the same general construction as Figure 3, but in lieu of the actuating member 35- in the form of a piston, a flexible bucket or diaphragm has been provided, which is indi-,

cated generally at 6'1. This diaphragm is arranged to be received within the housing 25 or 2! seating upon the shoulder 68 provided in the housing. This membrane 6! may be of rubber or other suitable flexible material which can be quickly positioned in the housing. In the present instance, the bucket is retained in position by a clamping ring 69, which is in turn held in position by the bolts 18 carried by the cap 45. With this arrangement of the bolts 10, as illustrated, the tightening of the stud bolts ll causes the clamping ring 69 to be forced against the edge of the bag so that it is securely positioned against the shoulder 58.

A shield 12 is provided in the housing and is the equivalent of the guide or shield 35 in the Figure 3 modification.

With the flexible bucket, shown in Figure '7, a positive separation of the actuating liquid and the pumped liquid is obtained, and there will be no wear upon the parts of the pump other than that due to the normal operation because all abrasives in the pumped liquid will be excluded by the diaphragm or bucket 61.

A valve 11 is provided adjacent the bucket 67 to permit exhausting of any air trapped inside :5 1

the shield 12 or if desired small ports 18 may be provided in the shield.

In order that the operator of the duplex pump may have some indication of the satisfactory operation or condition of the diaphragm 61, an indicator rod extends through the cap of the cylinder the same as the rod 42. With the diaphragm 61, however, no lubricant is required and the rod 15 is, therefore, of solid construction, instead of being hollow as is the rod 42. The operator by merely glancing at the pump will observe the reciprocating action of the rod 15 and will be advised that the flexible membrane is indicating and operating satisfactorily. If the bucket should become ruptured, the opening would allow 20 the actuating liquid to flow through the pump or the pumped liquid to enter the top of the working housing, and the bucket would no longer flex on each stroke of the pump and the rod 15 would remain inactive. This would be the signal to the operator that the bucket had burst, and would have to be replaced. It is contemplated that the actuating liquid would be of less specific gravity than the fluid being pumped so that in the event the diaphragm burst no material damage would occur to the pump over a considerable period. In order to replace the damaged diaphragm, it would only be necessary to remove the cap and reconnect a new bag to the rod 15 by means of the bolts 16. ,5

The arrangement of the pump, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, embodies but four valves, two inlet and two outlet, due to the fact that the displacements from the cylinders I l and l 2 are combined in the housings 20 and 2!. This type of invention is of advantage because of its simplicity and the reduction in cost of maintenance.

A considerable number of the pumps now in general use, however, are duplex pumps having eight valves, which include four inlet and four outlet valve-s, two being provided for each end of the two cylinders. With a view of adapting the present invention to this type of pump, the sectional views of Figures 8 and 9 have been included. This arrangement, insofar'as the cylinders l l and I2 are concerned, is identical with the previous embodiments of the invention. Figure 8 shows a section similar to the section illustrated in Figure 3, except that the conduit 25 has been eliminated, and in its stead, a direct connection is made to the working housings Hi5 and I0 I, which have been substituted in lieu of the working housing 21. Thus, each of the housings I90 and |0| are adapted to accommodate the surge from one of the working strokes of each of the pistons l0, whereas, the housing 2! is adapted to accomrnodate the combined discharge of the opposite strokes of the cylinders l l and I2. The direct conduits I01 connect the working housings with the cylinders of the pump.

The general construction of the mechanism shown in Figures 8 and 9 is the same as shown in Figure 7, in that a flexible bucket or diaphragm I02 has been provided in the working chamber 7 I03. These buckets 192 are held in position by a structure identically as shown in that of Figure 7 For this reason, the same reference characters have been applied. The inlet to the working chamber I03 is controlled by the valve I04, which is duplicated in the valve I05 controlling the working chamber I06 in the housing IOI. The two valves I 04 and I05 thus take the place of the single valve 55 seen in Figure 7. The arrangement for indicating to the operator the relative position of the bucket I02 has been modified to some extent in Figure 8, and embodies a valve or closure member I08, which is carried by the head 45. This valve has an opening IIO therethrough, which is arranged to receive a rod or tube III. This valve I08 embodies a stop-cock I09, which has an opening adapted to be aligned with the passage II 0 to permit the entrance of the rod I I I, or, when the rod is not in position, the stopcock may be moved out of alignment with the passage III) to completely close the head. The rod III is threaded at II2 to be received in the cap I I3 carried by the lower portion of the bucket I02. t is contemplated that if desired the rods III will not normally be positioned as shown in the drawings, but will be withdrawn from the housing. The operator may have one or more of these rods available and when it is desired to make a test as to the satisfactory operation of the bucket I02, it is only necessary to loosen the nut II 5, move the stop-cock I09 into an aligned position and insert the rod III so that it may be attached to the cap II3.

If the pump is operating the rod will reciprocate in accordance with the movement of the bucket I02, and the operator will be advised that his pump is in satisfactory condition,""whereas, if the bucket I02 has been broken, there will be little or no reciprocation of the rod III.

The outlet valve housing is shown in the center of Figure 8 and contains a duplication of valves from the showing illustrated in Figure 5. It is believed that the remaining parts of the structure shown in Figures 8 and 9 can be readily recognized from their general association with the invention, and a further detailed explanation is not required.

It is understood that the valve 11 may be used to exhaust accumulating gases in the Figure '7 embodiment, or a similar valve can be positioned in the side of the housing 2I directly above the ring 69 so that, if desired, the operator may open this valve and observe the liquid surging back and forth in the separating chamber 28. Thus, if the bag 61 is broken, this test will indicate a certain amount of mud, but if the bag is not broken there will be no mud observed in the test.

What I claim as new is:

1. A pump including a pair of pump cylinders, a working housing adjacent each cylinder, conduits connecting opposite ends of each cylinder to one of said housings, and reciprocating means in each housing movable in response to fluid pressure from said cylinders to perform a pumping action to draw in and discharge fluid from said housings.

2. In a pump, a working housing, a fluid actuated member disposed therein to displace fiuid therefrom upon movement, a pair of pump cylinders, and means connecting the opposite ends of said cylinders to said housing whereby the fluid displacement from both cylinders is applied simultaneously to said member to displace fluid from said housing.

3. A duplex pump including pump cylinders and housings wherein the liquid displaced from the opposite ends of a plurality of pump cylinders is caused to surge back and forth in a single working housing, an inlet valve and an outlet valve for the pumped liquid in said housing,

an actuated member disposed in said housing to form an actuating fluid chamber and a working chamber, whereby the liquid surging from said cylinders actuate said member to cause a flow of pumped liquid through said working chamber. 5

4. A combination reciprocating and diaphragm pump including pump cylinders, a pair of double acting reciprocating pistons, a pair of housings, each housing being connected to the opposite ends of each cylinder, a charge of actuat- [0 ing liquid in said cylinders and housings, and means in said housings operative in response to the surges of such actuating liquid to pump a liquid into and out of said housing.

5. In a pump of the type embodying a charge of actuating liquid, a housing, and means to pulsate such liquid the combination of a membrane disposed in said housing adapted for operation by the pulsations of the liquid, said membrane having a rod thereon and extending from 20 said housing whereby the condition of the diaphragm will be indicated.

6. In a pump of the character described a working housing, a sleeve disposed in said housing and spaced therefrom, a piston slidable in said sleeve 25 to serve as a separating member between an actuating liquid and a pumped liquid, said piston being freely movable in response to surges of the actuating liquid, and a guide rod connected to said piston and freely movable through 30 said housing.

7. In a pump of the character described a working housing, a sleeve disposed in said housing and spaced therefrom, a piston slidable in said sleeve to serve as a separating member be- 85 tween an actuating liquid and a pumped liquid, said piston being freely movable in response to surges of the actuating liquid, and means carried by said piston and extending from said housing to guide the position of the piston.

8. In a pump of the character described a working housing, a sleeve disposed in said housing and spaced therefrom, a piston slidable in said sleeve to serve as a separating member between an actuating liquid and a pumped liquid, 45 said piston being freely movable in response to surges of the actuating liquid and means extending from said housing to inject actuating fluid into said sleeve.

9. In a pump of the character described a working housing, a sleeve disposed in said housing and spaced therefrom, a piston slidable in said sleeve to serve as a separating member between an actuating liquid and a pumped liquid, said piston being freely movable in response to surges of the actuating liquid, and means including a tell tale to guide said piston.

10. In a duplex pump having two cylinders, two double acting pump pistons therein, and two working housings connected thereto, two conduits leading to each of said housings, one of said conduits being connected to carry the discharge from each of said pistons, one of said conduits to each housing crossing one of said 6 conduits to the other said housing whereby the discharge from one end of one piston and the discharge from the opposite end of the other piston are combined in one of said housings.

11. A pump of the character described includ- 70 ing a pair of pump cylinders, a piston in each cylinder adapted for reciprocation, a working housing adjacent each cylinder, means connecting each of said cylinders with each of said housings, said cylinder means and housing being filled with an actuating liquid and means whereby the discharge from opposite ends of each cylinder is simultaneously discharged into the same working housing, an actuating member in each of said housings adapted to be moved by the liquid upon reciprocation of said pistons, and a working chamber also in each housing adapted to have the pumped liquid passed therethrough by the movement of said actuating member.

12. A four valve two cylinder pump including cylinders wherein the pumping action is obtained by an actuating liquid, two double acting pistons to move the actuating liquid in said cylinders, two single acting members, each having fluid connection to said cylinders, each adapted to be moved by the actuating liquid in response to the combined displacement from one stroke of said two pistons whereby a liquid is pumped, and inlet and outlet valves for each member controlling the flow of the pumped fluid.

13. A pump of the character described including a working housing, an inlet and an outlet thereon for liquid being pumped, pump duplex cylinders wherein the discharge from said duplex cylinders is combined and received by said working housing, means connecting the opposite ends 10 of the pump cylinders and the housing to conduct the motive liquid, a flexible diaphragm disposed in said housing and adapted to be flexed by the combined discharge of the opposite ends of the cylinders whereby a pump action is ob- 15 tained.

MONROE W. CARROLL. 

